Brat Burger Sliders with Easy Beer Cheese Sauce

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These brat burgers made with bratwurst sausage links, King’s Hawaiian pretzel buns, and a simple homemade beer cheese sauce will be the star of your next tailgate or party! Make these easy brat sliders on the griddle or inside on the stovetop!

Look no further for the perfect recipe that will take you all the way through summer and into the fall tailgating season. Brat burger sliders are super fun and delicious. Melty beer cheese is drizzled on top of sautéed peppers and onions and juicy flavorful bratwurst burgers. 

If you love brats and burgers, then you will love this recipe. It’s mouthwatering with a bold creamy rich flavor. Enjoy all the classic flavors of bratwurst in burger form. 

For more epic burgers, try our Smashed Butter Burgers, Smashed Meatball Sliders or Ultimate Taco Burger. 

Brat Burger Sliders Video

Ingredients You Need

A full list of ingredients and measurements are included in the recipe card below, but here are a few notes about the ingredients. 

• Beef Tallow or Your Favorite Cooking Oil: This is the fat we use for cooking the burgers, peppers and onions. 
• Beer Brats: A 5 pack of bratwurst sausages will make 7 sliders. Use your favorite bratwurst. If you don’t have bratwurst, you can substitute it with ground pork. Just be sure to season it with bratwurst spices like dry mustard, sage, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. 
• Pretzel Slider Buns: You can substitute with your favorite hamburger bun, but I promise that the pretzel buns are worth it. Just imagine the creamy beer cheese with the salty pretzel buns. Delish!
• Beer: Dark beer like stout, porter or malt will create a deep flavor to the cheese sauce. Light beers like ales and IPAs will have a lighter flavor. Choose whatever type of beer you prefer. 
• Heavy Cream: This forms the base of the cheese sauce. You can substitute with half and half, if needed. 
• Cheese: Use sharp cheddar cheese for the sauce. Freshly grated is best, but you can use pre-shredded cheese.
• Peppers and Onions: I use green bell peppers and yellow onion for classic flavor. You can substitute with red onion, sweet onion or another color of bell pepper, if desired. 
• Spicy Mustard: I like to use Beer’n Brat mustard because it’s the perfect mustard for bratwurst as it’s made with horseradish. But your favorite type of spicy mustard will taste great too. 
• Fresh Garlic: You can substitute the garlic clove with ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder. 
• All Purpose Seasoning: If you don’t have all purpose seasoning, you can substitute with a pinch or two of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder.

Steps to Make Brat Burgers with Beer Cheese

Step 1: Prepare the brat burger patties.

Preheat the griddle to low heat. While it’s preheating, transform the bratwurst into burger patties. Use a sharp knife to remove the casings from the bratwurst. Form the sausage into 7 small burger patties. I like to roll the sausage into balls and then form them into the hamburger patty. 

Transfer to a plate and set aside. 

Step 2: Prepare the beer cheese. 

Place a medium saucepan on the griddle. Once the pan is hot, remove it from the heat and add the beer and garlic, stirring to combine. Add the heavy cream and mustard, then return the pan to the hot griddle. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to bubble. 

Stir in the cheese until melted. The consistency should be thick but the sauce should still run off a spoon. You can adjust to your desired consistency by adding more cheese, if desired. 

*Note – Do not let the sauce get too hot because it will curdle. Make sure to cook the sauce over low heat. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. 

Step 3: Cook the peppers and onions.

Melt the tallow on the griddle over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions to the griddle and sprinkle with the all purpose seasoning. Cook the peppers and onions, stirring occasionally, until they are slightly charred. 

Step 4: Cook the burgers.

Add the burger patties to the hot griddle and cook until they develop a nice crust on the bottom. Flip the burgers and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the burger reads 165°F.

Step 5: Toast the buns. 

Toast the pretzel buns on the griddle. I don’t use any butter for toasting since you are adding plenty of moisture with the other ingredients. 

Step 6: Assemble.

Spread a small amount of mustard on the bottom of the buns, about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon depending on your taste. Dividing evenly among the bottom of the buns, top with the burgers, then the peppers and onions. Drizzle the beer cheese over the top and finish with the tops of the buns. 

Serve the burger sliders immediately. 

Recipe Variations

Hatch Green Chile Burgers (No Beer Cheese): Use hatch green chile brats instead of the standard beer brats. For these burgers, I sauté some diced green chilies and layer the burgers with slices of pepper jack cheese instead of the beer cheese. It’s an epic flavor combination that is sure to please.  

Full Size Burgers: If you prefer full size burgers, then go for it. You’ll just need to make bigger burger-sized patties and use burger buns. 

Stovetop Cooking: If you don’t want to fire up your griddle, you can make these bratwurst burgers on the stovetop in a large cast iron skillet or griddle. 

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Once fully assembled, the sliders are best served fresh. But you can store the leftover burger patties (without the bun) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can store the peppers and onions and beer cheese separately in sealed containers for up to 3 days. 

Reheat the burger patties and peppers and onions in a skillet or on the griddle until warmed through. Reheat the beer cheese in a saucepan over low heat until warm. Assemble the sliders just prior to serving. 

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Prep Ahead Tips

If you’re bringing these burger sliders tailgating during football season or making them for a party any time of the year, then I have a few tips to prepare in advance. 

Beer Cheese: Make the cheese sauce up to a day in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Alternatively, you can just cover the cooled cheese in the pan with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Then transfer the pan to the griddle or stove to reheat over low heat until warm. 

Patties: You can shape the sausage into patties and store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Place a piece of parchment paper in between the patties to prevent them from sticking.

Peppers and Onions: You can cook the peppers and onions in advance, if desired. Or just dice them and store until you’re ready to cook. Then reheat or cook just prior to assembling the sliders. 

This brat burger recipe is a delicious mash up of brat burgers, beer cheese, peppers and caramelized onions. It’s an unforgettable recipe that is filled with juicy perfection. Try this easy recipe anytime and let us know what you think!

No matter how you choose to make these brat burger sliders, serve the burgers on their own or with your other favorite tailgating recipes. We love making French Fries on the griddle to serve with the burgers!